Dead Space
by PerishedShadow
Summary: The USS Ishimura has been attacked. David Bennett Conway is fighting his way out, there is no doubt about that. The question is, does he have the will to make it?
1. Bios

-_Classified information-_

_The following contains information on all people involved in the USS Ishimura attack. Or Operation Black Ridge. _

_These are the men and women who made it through the intial assault, as to what happens to them we are unsure._

**Name:** David Ichiha Conway

**Age:** 18

**Height**:6'2"

**Weight**: 140

**Appearance**: Tall,muscular,gets golden Military armor (./_DYz00vng-XE/TIrLCw6NmCI/AAAAAAAABAk/tGIk5ttJpl4/s1600/military_suit_by_ )

**Personality:** Hates all necromorphs and kills with a passion, will crack the occasional fjoke but that's about all, David is a more innocent soldier even though he watched his friends slaughtered during the initial attack.

**Gender: **Male

**Prior Occupation:** Guard in the mental hospital

**Ship served on: **USS Ishimura

**Weapon:** Plasma cutter, Quantum Liberlite

**Bio:** David was born on the USS Ishimura, he enlisted at the age of seventeen as a security guard in the mentally disturbed ward. He was trained in hand-to-hand combat along with a variety of tools. Along with standard weaponry that are issued to the security guards. He was at his station when the attack happened.

**Name:**Dalton Timothy Ackerson

**Age:**28

**Height**: 5'10"

**Weight**: 154.39

**Appearance:** Average sized under suit, Hacker suit (DLC)

**Gender:**Male

**Prior Occupation:**Planet Cracker Engineer for the U.S.S Tomahawk.

**Weapon:**Pulse Rifle, Plasma Cutter

**Personality:** Enjoys screwing around and is always racking jokes which are usually perverted, gets serious when are killing necromorphs.

**Rank:**1st Lieutenant

**Bio:** CONVENIENTLY, Dalton was put on duty as a security officer on the Ishimura as punishment for brawling all out against his CO because "He was a dick." as Dalton stated. The higher-ups didn't want to risk one of their better soldiers having something on his record, so for looks, they decided to dump him on the Ishimura instead of dishonerabally discharging him. He made his last stand with a small group of security officers that broke off from the rest when the outbreak began.  
He previously had been trained in engineering and was quite good at it, but he aspired to be a field medic and promptly took that career over his old one.

**Name:**Geoffrey Dees

**Age:**29

**Gender:**Male

**Height:**5'9"

**Weight:**150 lb.

**Appearance:**Under the armor, he is Asian/Caucasian, has a regulation buzz-cut, and has a five o' clock shadow.

**Prior Occupation:**After spending 10 years as a Marine, he moved onto the security force of the USS Ishimura since the higher-ups did not want to lose his skill-set so easily. In exchange he was allowed to keep his former rank of Staff Sergeant. Has an outstanding record as a marksman, as well as slightly higher-than-average close-combat skills.

**Personality:**Blunt, too the point, and a realist, he does follow the rules, but he's more than willing to bend them in order to save lives and accomplish the mission. Is rather independent, though is willing to work with others. Normally gruff and strict, with the only exception being when no Necromorphs are around, where he becomes more casual.

**Ship served on:**USS Ishimura, USS Iwo Jima (former ship stationed on as a Marine)

**Weapon:**Pulse Rifle, Seeker Rifle, Plasma Cutter, Combat Knife

**Rank:** Staff Sergeant (formally in Marines and in formally in the security forces)


	2. Where am I?

"_THIS IS THE USS ISHIMURA. MAYDAY, MAYDAY, WE ARE GOING DOWN, I REPEAT. WE ARE GOING DOWN! WE ARE-(MUFFLED SCREAMS)-OH GOD, OH GOD, THEY'RE IN HERE THEY'RE IN HERE!—(GUNSHOTS AND MORE SCREAMS)-End of transmission"_

I awoke on a cold concrete floor, my arm ached and my head pounded. I looked around, realizing where I was, my heart began to race. I was locked in a cell reserved for the mentally disturbed. It was one of those steel walled, and glass door. I didn't understand, why am I in here. I stood up and looked around. I took stock of the situation,

' uhh…..Let's see, I've heard that there are wires under those panels that can be connected and the current would open the door.' I thought to myself.

I walked around and looked around the cell. I saw a video camera on the floor, I picked it up, opening up the side flap, I saw a video that had my face on it. I pressed the play button and listened to the video, while I tried to ply a steel panel off of the wall. I listened as the video camera said this.

"_My name is Davi__d Bennett Conway , my rank was Private First Class, and I am 18 years old,I am, or was, an Ishimura security guard. I served on the USS Ishimura as guard in the Mental Ward, as the unthinkable happened. The necromorphs attacked my ship midflight, they killed at least, 3/4s of the population on my ship. I watched my friends slaughtered by those damn beasts. Those things got Jimmy, Alec, and Lawrence. All were men I served with in the ward. As the creatures made it through the blast doors, we let out all the patients. I wanted to at least give them a fighting chance. One of them attacked me and knocked me out, along with stripping me of my armor and pushed me into this cell.-camera pans left and right showcasing cell- Here I watched my friends slaughtered, some patients escaped through air ducts. The infected weren't able to get to me through the glass. I can't believe they are all gone, all of them. I can't think, I got scratched and it won't stop bleeding. I'm going to patch myself up. If I don't video tape another one expect the worse. Oh, and Sarah, I'm sorry baby, I should have listened to you."_

There the video ends, as it ended, I tore a panel of steel off of the wall and exposed the wiring underneath. I looked at my arm that was aching and noticed the sutured laceration on my left arm.

' So now, I know how I got here, I know who I am, I know how to get out of this cell, but how am I supposed. Survive outside of the cell?' I thought to myself.

I peeled the wiring apart. Separating the wire ,I was looking, from the rest, I bit down into the outer coating of it and tore it apart, exposing the live wiring underneath. I did the same to the next wire and touched them together. They sparked and the door slid up just enough for me to slide under. I grabbed the camera and slid underneath.

The door slammed down just as I slid underneath, I saw lots of bodies. I resisted the urge to puke. I walked over to one in armor. His helmet had fallen off, he looked familiar. But, I couldn't place it. I reached down and picked up his tags. Tearing off one, it read,

Lawrence Michealson

19

127635

Christian

O-neg

I put the one tag in a pouch at my side. I collected tags off of every soldier in the one room, just in case I got out alive, I would have them give the tags to their family.

I heard a screech coming from an air duct, then footsteps. I froze where I stood. I noticed that the soldier who's tag I had just taken had a semi automatic rifle, I reached down and checked the mag, Full.

It was a standard issued Quantum Liberlite, it fired standard .308 Hollow point rounds. I brought it up in a swift, practiced motion as the creature bursted out of the air duct.

It careened straight at me, as I dove out of the way, it reached out and caught my ankle with it's claw. It dragged me along the ground by my boot.

I set the rifle into the small of my shoulder, I lined up the sights and set them on the beasts shoulder. Pulling the trigger, I blew the thing's arm off. It sprawled forward, I continued sliding along the floor though, I slammed into the heap of skin and bone.

We both slammed to our feet. We got our feet under us at the same time.

I drew up the rifle as it leaped at me. I shouted as I let fly four .308 rounds.

One took off it's leg, the next into it's chest, and the last, taking it's head clean off. The thing landed on top of me and crushed me to the floor, it was dead.

I wiggled out from underneath it, and puked out a generous helping of rotting guts and gray matter. I finished getting it all out of my system, god it tasted horrrible. I went to go and look at the corpse. It was basically a bag of skin, but it looked like a featherless ostrich with claws.

I went up to kick it but was stopped by a harsh voice,

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I whipped around and drew my rifle back up yet again, just to find some sort of plasma weapon rammed in my face. It appeared to be a plasma cutter, which was used for surgery, placed onto a flashlight, with an improvised trigger mechanism.

"Who are you?" I ordered as forcefully as I could.

"First Lieutenant Ackerson," He replied just as gruffly as the first order, "Judging by the rank on your shirt and cover, you are a Private First Class. Am I correct, or am I to presume you looted this off of a deserving soldier?"

I popped to attention and saluted, "Sir, I apologize, Private First Class Conway reporting for duty, sir."

He nodded and smiled,"At ease boy I was messing with you, I've seen you around the ship. and by the looks of it, you killed your first necromorph." He laughed, "innocence is so cruel at times though. You have to be ready to kill at a moents notice."

I nodded, dropping the salute, "Aye, Aye sir. So what is this thing, it's different from the other ones I saw?" I asked.

There was movement from the duct by the ground, I crouched,"Duct by floor, I've got movement," I shouldered the rifle yet again.

I saw out of the corner of my eye, Ackerson whipped around, a perfect 180 degree turn into a crouch with the improvised weapon aimed at the duct."State whether you are human or beast." He shouted.

After a pause,a thick voice sounded out, "Human," It said, "Don't shoot, I'm gonna come out, this duct is doing hell to my allergies." As he said this, I heard a shuffling and a man slid out of the duct.

He was in full security armor, he had the emblem of the marine corps staff sergeant, on the right arm. He had the same improvised weapon as First lieutenant Ackerson. Along with a tool I was familiar with, he was wielding a seeker rifle. It was one of my favorite weapons.

He looked at me, all of a sudden I felt really underdressed, I was in a cotton overblouse that had been issued to me once I was promoted and my BDU's. I had worn them under my armor before it was stolen.

The man smiled and went to shake Ackerson's hand. "So Ackerson," He said, "We have yet another new blood on our hands."

I noticed Ackerson had lowered the improvised weapon and shook his hand.

I hadn't lowered mine, "Umm...Am I missing something?" I asked, utterly confused.

The new guy and Ackerson both looked at me. Ackerson finally spoke up, "Look, my name is Dalton Timothy Ackerson. I was part of the security branch. Aalong with Geoff Dees here, we used to hang out in the break room and make fun of Isaac Clarke." He laughed and looked at Geoff, "You know, I wonder what happened to that skinny bastard?" He asked.

My stomach rumbled as he finished his sentence. I looked down, I hated showing weakness.

Geoff reached into the bag strapped across his back and produced three MRE's. Looking around he half laughed, "Any one know how to cook?"

I stepped forward. "I do, my dad taught me along time ago. Here let me see them." I ripped the MRE's open and set to find a pot or pan in any of the blood soaked cupboards. I finally found one. I poured them into it.

-15 mins later-

"Dinner's ready." I pulled the pan off the stove and served everyone fairly. Allowing the higher ranks to have more. I then wolfed down my food.

"we need to establish watches." Dalton said to Geoff, who volunteered for first watch.

At which point I promptly fell asleep.


	3. We have to get out of here!

I awoke to the sound of high speed rounds of a pulse gun, even in my sleep, I could designate where the round was coming from, what type of round and on a standard weapon, how many rounds were fired.

I snapped up off the floor, dragging up my rifle, I watched just in time as Geoff, severed the thing's head With the improvised weapon. Which ,like I said before, was a recision surgery laser attached to a flashlight.

Anyway, I watched as it's head slid off but the thing was still coming! Geoff shouted," Shoot the limbs, shoot the limbs damn-it!" I leveled the rifle and drew a bead on the creature's shoulder, pulling the trigger once, the shoulder ligament vaporized and the arm hit the ground.

It just kept coming, I drew a bead on it's hip this time, but Ackerson beat me to it. He used the same laser, but his own, to slice it's legs off. It hit the ground with a sickening thud and it screeched. I proceeded to blow it other arm off, finally the body stopped moving.

I looked up alarmed, "Why the hell, Did That Thing Not die! YOU BLEW IT'S FUGGING HEAD OFF! IT JUST..IT JUST..."I started freaking out until I realized why, "They aren't alive are they? No heart beat, no blood,and no thoughts,am I right?"

Geoff and Dalton looked at each other and nodded. Geoff started off first, "Look," he said, and I will remember this always,"these creatures,they are all of our friends, our families, all of them, all mutated by those infectors, the ones that look like bats."

Geoff pulled up his rig, and scanned through his messages. He pointed at one that was from one of his guard buddies. It read,

_"Hey, Geoff. __Not sure if you made it or not, buddy, I'm at the end of the line. One of those things got me good. I'm bleeding, bad. Man, I thought I was gonna make it, but just because I can't, doesn't mean you can't. You gotta kill by dismemberment man. Aim for the arms first, then the legs. Look man, I can barely type this out. Good luck and god speed._

_From:Erik"  
_

Then Dalton spoke up,"You see, that's why we put them out of their misery, but you have to dismember them to do it. It's an ammo waster, and it's a hard job, but it needs to be done." He put his hand out, "We need to know, that you have our back, you won't run when the going gets tough. Are you in?" He asked.

I nodded, "I'm in. Not because I enjoy killing, but because I wanna end their sufffering." I shook my head to clear it. "Let's get the Fuck outta here."

Geoff and Dalton both looked at each other and nodded. They both headed towards the ventilation shaft. I followed and leveled my rifle. I decided to name her Kaleta. 'Such a pretty name' I thought to myself.

It was so dark in the shaft I could barely see my hand in front of my face, let alone the guys with me. Dalton was in front, apparently he knew the ventilation shafts. "Left," He called. I kept crawling forward and rammed my head into a wall. "Damn," I swore.

Dalton laughed and said,"Oh yeah watch your head."

I continued crawling through the ventilation system after Geoff and Dalton. "Does this thing ever end," I groaned. I stopped groaning and the groaning noise resounded through the shaft alittle too long.

"What the he..."

As I said this, the vent flooring gave out from under me, I felt gravity take control as I plunged downward.


	4. I'm lost again

I plunged straight down.

In the darkness, I scrabbled at any structure that would slow my fall. I doubled over as a pipe slammed into my gut. Or more like my gut slammed into the pipe. Pain shot through me, darkness enshrouded my vision, not because of the pain, but because it was pitch black.

I fell off of the pipe gasping for breath, as soon as I could gasp, I hit water.

Not really water, but like sludge, I inhaled a crap load. Then my head went under. The little gear I was wearing was weighing me down.

I flailed at the sludge, my head broke the surface. I sucked in a breath of air, and choked, the acrid smell of smoke cut through my nostrils.

I began to regain my "cool" and assessed the situation.

I had my gear, my weapons,my ammunition, and my life. For how long, I was unsure. I switched on the flashlight on my shoulder. Looking around, there was a small nook to my left. I began swimming towards the nook. I reached the nook and pulled myself up into it.

I set to shaking and wiping off as much sludge as I could. After about five minutes, I got off as much as I could. I just hoped to god that this crap wouldn't harden in the joints of my armor.

I sat back and just thought about my situation. No food, no water, and no teammates. As a precaution, I switched my light off.

"DIE MOTHER FUCKERS" I heard someone scream from about maybe, four or five stories above, the voice sounded female. I watched a light flare up and swell, then a figure, back grounded by the light, jump at the water,then an explosion sounded, but she never made it. She got entangled in wires, I switched my light on, just in time to see that she was upside down. And an object fell, which, I guessed was her knife.

Necromorphs dropped down around her. I leveled my rifle, drawing a bead on a necromorph in mid flight, I pulled the trigger. There was only so much I could do from here.

I decided to take a chance and go and help her out. Strapping my rifle across my shoulders and drawing my dagger, I ran forward and dove into the pool of sludge. I came up for air and began swimming, dagger in hand, towards the girl in the wires. I felt a hand grab my boot. All of a sudden I was pulled underneath the sludge. Twisting my body around, I stabbed repeatedly, after about thirty seconds of struggling with assailant, my lungs began to burn. I stabbed one last time, I stabbed at where the throat should have been. It screamed futilely and released me. Returning to the surface, I gasped for breath. I headed off towards the girl again.

I reached the wall closest to the tangle of wires, using my upper body strength, I made my way up to her using the busted pipes and pieces of metal, accidentally slicing my hand open on a jagged piece of steel.

I reached over with my good hand and climbed into the tangle of wires. Where I was at, I could hear her spouting obscenities, non-stop.

"Hey," I called out quietly, "You OK up there?"

I waited for a response, "I guess," she said, just loud enough for me to hear, "I dropped my damn knife, mind helping me out?"

I began to climb again, coming level to her head, I glanced at her, she was actually really pretty. I couldn't think about that now. Eventually the necromorphs would learn to use their heads. Then we would both be screwed.

I came to the wires that were wrapped around her legs. I set to work, sawing at the wires. I cut through three, before realizing, the wires had sliced into her legs. Taking extra care as to not hurt her more than necessary, I set to cutting only the main wires, after freeing one leg, I wrapped my arm around her waist. Flipping her right side up, I made it to where the wires went slack and I could slip her through them.

Once I freed her, I pointed to the water. " Can you swim?" I asked her, she was hurting bad the wires had cut deep.

"No, I never had the need to learn." she said, "Alright," I muttered, "Just hold on." I went and positioned her onto my back and turned my head. "Hold your breath." And I jumped.


	5. The swim

The Swim.

I took one last breath as I plunged straight down yet again.

It felt like an eternity, I wasn't even sure if I could take her across without drowning us both.

I hit the oily shit within seconds of jumping, she wrapped her arms even tighter, nearly cutting off my airways as we went under. We came back up and she gasped for air.

I started with the survivor float for a minute, just to get some air. After about thirty seconds of my face in the water, she prodded me in the side. "Hey," She said anxiously, "are you dead, we gotta go,"

As she said this something brush my ankle, then there was a staggering pain in my right calf, I screamed in pain, then I didn't feel anything. I knew that was not a good thing. I kicked and felt something shift out of my leg. I grunted as the oily sludge seeped into my room, it stung like no other. I kept moving though. The over hang seemed like it wasn't getting any closer. I looked down and put my face in the sludge and just pushed on through the pain, all of a sudden i felt her prod my side again.

I looked up and saw we were by the wall, I nodded, almost imperceptibly, but she saw it. She tightened her grip again as I hoisted us up and out of the sludge. Falling on my chest, she rolled off of my back and sat down. I dragged myself up to the wall and sat up.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Anytime," I groaned, "Hey lemme take a look at your leg."

She looked at me skeptically, but put her legs out, both were cut, not badly but enough just to need bandaging and proper cleaning.

"Your bleeding pretty bad for something that shallow," I muttered.

"Uh.. That's not my blood.." She said uncertainly.

"Well then who's..Oh shit.. " I looked down at my tattered pant leg, one of the necros had gotten me good, it had punched a fairly large incision through my leg, but missed the bone by millimeters.

I looked at the hole in my leg and set to work, I drew my combat knife and scraped it off on a rock and then cleaned it, using it as a scalpel, I set to cleaning my wound. Using the needles in my medi pack, I stitched my leg closed on one side, using a rag that I had picked off of one of the ruins, I cleaned out the slice. I then stitched the other side closed.

I looked at the woman, "I hate tending to myself before others, " I said and we both started laughing.

"I'm David," I muttered, once we stopped laughing.

"Oh, I'm Jess, Jess Valentine.''

"Alright, now let me take a look at your leg. She put out her legs again, I took her left leg in my right hand, I used a scrap of my shirt that I had torn off and wrung out. I cleaned her wounds with it and bandaged them up. I was running out of medical supplies.

"Alright you're good." I muttered. My stomach growled, "Man, we need to find some food." I groaned. I stood up, and helped Jess up.

"Can you walk?" I asked her, she nodded.

"Wanna go find some food?" I asked her as her stomach growled.

She laughed and looked at me, "Need you ask?"

I laughed, "Well let's go."


	6. The Hunt For Food And Supplies

The hunt for food and supplies.

"You doing ok?" I asked over my shoulder.

"Yeah," Jess half shouted.

"There's an over hang twenty feet up, you wanna take a break?" I could hear her snort, "You wanna get kicked in the teeth," I laughed at that.

We continued scaling the ruins and reached the top about twenty minutes later. I reached the top. I pulled my self up and over and leaned down to help her up. She grasped my hand and I pulled her up, the rubble started giving out. I pushed her to where the rubble stopped giving out. I felt the ground just fall away underneath me, as I fell I reached up and grabbed some rebar, hanging by one hand on to a section of rebar.

"Schizar!" I shouted as I grabbed, I held on. I could feel my grip slipping, I slipped and as I dropped,Jess grabbed my wrist.

"Gotcha, don't worry." She got up far enough to allow me to pull myself up the rest of the way.

"Thanks," I muttered as I pulled myself up. I dusted myself off and sat down. "Alright, let's get going," I stood up and started scanning the area for a way out. I noticed the way she had come the first go around, I pointed at the hole in the wall, it probably was a hallway at some point, but whatever she had used to blow up those necros had done a number and was going to make it a death trap. But, I wanted to try it anyway. "Up there, where you came in, where does that lead to?" I asked Jess.

"Well, it leads to a supply elevator, but there's a minor complication."  
"What's that?"  
"I blew it up."  
"Oh, I might be able to repair it depending on the extent of the damage. Let's go."

(Still working on this one.)

"We are gonna have to jump for it, the cables I mean, then we'll have to go climb up the cables, then once we get high enough, we have to swing over and jump in. You up for that?"

She nodded and smiled, "I love a challenge." As she said this she ran to the edge of the over hang and launched her self into the mess of tangled wires and cables, grabbing on she shouted, "You gonna stand there? Or am I gonna leave your ass behind?"

I smiled and ran to the edge, launching myself off, I leapt into the wires.

I grabbed on and started slipping, the wire began sliding through my gloves. I scrabbled for a hand hold, my boot caught a wire that was stable enough for my weight. I let out a breath of relief.

I started pulling myself up, I got up to where Jess was on the wireing, "Thought I wasn't gonna make it for a minute there."

She nodded and we kept climbing.  
After about five minutes, we were alittle higher up than the hole in the wall.

"On 3," I asked her, Jess nodded. She was up for just about anything, no matter how dangerous, it seemed.

"Alright, 1..2..3,"

On three, we jumped. That's when we hit a road block.


End file.
